SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — National Semiconductor says it’ll be shutting down its South Portland plant for two weeks starting this Friday.

WGAN-AM says the chip maker notified its 450 workers that it’ll be closed from April 10-26. Spokeswoman Penny Collins says workers will either be furloughed, or they can take vacation time for one week and employee training during the second week.

The worldwide economic downturn has hit chip makers like National Semiconductor. The California-based company announced last month that it was eliminating more than a quarter of its work force, or 1,725 jobs. That included about 40 jobs in South Portland.

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